


I'll Keep You Safe

by Solar_Litost



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Near Death Experiences, Poison, Poisoning, Protective Matt Holt, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Sarcastic Pidge | Katie Holt, Sick Pidge | Katie Holt, Sickfic, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solar_Litost/pseuds/Solar_Litost
Summary: When Pidge is poisoned and nearly killed on a mission with Lance, Matt rushes to her. Being a big brother is something he has always loved. But seeing Katie after having been so close to death, he realizes he can’t control what happens during war. All he wants is to keep her safe.
Relationships: Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	I'll Keep You Safe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Adrianna_Agray](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrianna_Agray/gifts).



> Happy Holidays!
> 
> This is a gift for Adrianna_Agray as part of IcyPanther's Secret Santa Patreon 2020 Event. 
> 
> Prompt: I would really like a fic where Matt rushes to the Castle after Pidge was poisoned and then comforts her as the poison just has to work through her system. Rating T.
> 
> Super happy to be a part of this event! If you haven't checked out IcyPanther's archive then I implore you to go do that, they are a fantastic writer!
> 
> And don't worry guys, I have a big piece coming soon! I have been working on it for a few months now so I appreciate your patience :)
> 
> This is un-betaed. 
> 
> Lyrics from I'll Keep You Safe by Sleeping At Last.
> 
> I am also finally adding my Tumblr and Twitter if anyone is interested:
> 
> [Tumblr](https://violetnebula.tumblr.com)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheRoseHart)
> 
> Enjoy guys!

_“Like a clockmaker fixes time_

_By keeping the gears in line_

_Don’t be, don’t be afraid_

_God knows that mistakes will be made_

_But I promise you I’ll keep you safe.”_

»

Matt had been on a supply run for the coalition when he got the news. The coalition wasn’t like the Blades, as helpful as they were. Because when he dropped everything immediately and went to grab his small pod to head back to base, no one stopped him. No one reminded him about the mission or what was at stake.

Matt _knew_ what was at stake.

He also knew what was most important to him.

Katie had been on a mission with the other paladins when she had gotten separated from Lance and cornered by one of the Galran on the base. It wasn’t the knife that pierced her side, right where the suit was weakest, that was life-threatening. No, it was that the blade had been dipped in Facinor poison. If she hadn’t been treated as soon as she had, then Katie wouldn’t have made it.

But luckily, the timing was just right. It would seem fate was on their side and Matt had hope that she would be okay.

But it wasn’t just physical recovery he was worried about; it was her mind. As brilliant and incredible as it was, it was still _young_. And Matt didn’t want his little sister to be so jaded and scarred at this point in her life.

He knew they were in a war… but it just wasn’t right.

Thinking of Katie, the strongest person Matt has ever known, being broken down by a war she had never asked to be part of, hurt Matt.

Really, really _hurt_.

When he had made it to his base he didn’t even report in, or change his clothes, or grab food (even though he was hungry and exhasusted). No, he just made a beeline straight for one of the faster cargo ships that they had. He had loaded up inside it and set off, pushing the machine as fast as it could go.

His hands griped the controls of his pod hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He was going as fast as possible to get to the Castle of Lions but it still didn’t seem fast enough. He didn’t have all the intel on what had happened, just the bare bones of the mission and that Katie had been in critical condition.

He was just lucky they were in the same system at the time, otherwise getting to the other paladins would have taken too long.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the ship came into view. It was always incredible seeing the castle, a white beacon, floating quietly within the darkness of space. The pale electric blue highlights of the ship glowed, thrumming with the quintessence of the ship.

Matt thought it looked a lot like hope.

Docking his pod in the hanger bay, he rushed out and ran through the halls until he hit the window of the med bay. Coran and Shiro were in the room. Shiro sitting on one side of the bed and Coran looking over one of the heart monitors.

Matt could see through the glass something that made his heart stop. It was like his system shut down and he walked numbly through the room while he waited for it to reboot. Standing beside the bed his heart stuttered back to life and he let out a low breath.

“Katie.”

He had never seen her look so small, despite her natural stature. She was laying in the bed, her torso wrapped with gauze, under a light shirt. She had a thin, if you could call it a blanket, covering her from her waist down. Coran had told him over the transmission that they hadn’t been able to put her into a pod because they poison had to run its course first. So, the wound had been cleaned out and Fererian glue applied to hold the skin shut until they could get her into a pod. Coran had said she would have a scar because of the delay, and it had made Matt’s fist clench in anger.

This was all so messed up.

Her eyes were shut and her face was red and flushed, sweat dripping from her brow and down her cheeks. The rest of her was a sickly pale color and she trembled like she was too cold, even though the room was a pleasant temperature. Matt frowned and went to grab the extra folded blanket at the bottom of the bed and went to pull it over his sister before a hand on his wrist stopped him.

“She has a fever; she can’t have any more blankets. We don’t want her to overheat.” Coran said before releasing his wrist.

“H-how is she?” Matt asked Shiro, slumping into the chair opposite of him on Katie’s left.

Shiro looked grim but went to open his mouth to respond.

“ _She_ is _fine_.” Katie rasped from the bed.

Matt looked down and could see Katie trying to glare at him, but it looked more like a wince of pain.

“Oh yeah? I’m sure you’re just great, stabbed and poisoned… just another day for a paladin of Voltron?” Matt asked sarcastically, but even his sarcasm seemed dried up with how worried he was.

There was a beat of silence. A moment where he saw Coran’s hand tighten just slightly on the data pad he was checking over. A moment where Shiro looked down, staring at his Galran arm. A moment where Katie looked so much younger than what she actually was, but at the same time her eyes looked slightly aged around the corners. Someone who didn’t really know her wouldn’t have been able to notice, but Matt did.

Matt always noticed.

“I’m okay Matt.” Katie whispered quietly, but her voice sounded insistent.

Matt huffed out a breath and moved his hands forward to Katie’s face. He pushed her sweat soaked bangs from her face gently and reached for her hand. A light squeeze and a watery grin for his little sister.

“Of course you are. You’re a Holt, we’re built to withstand.” He said proudly.

“We’ll give you some time alone. She should be fine Matt, just a few quintants for the poison to drain out and then she will right as snow!”

“Right as rain,” Shiro corrected.

“Really? Are you sure? That’s so strange.” Coran murmured to himself and he left the med bay.

The three humans shared a smile at that.

“I need to go anyways, gotta see Lance.”

There was something strange in his voice when he said Lance’s name and Matt perked up in confusion.

“Is he okay?”

Shiro hesitated for just a moment before responding with a sigh.

“He blames himself for what happened to Pidge. He was the one guarding her, and he’s isolated himself. Not eating and he hasn’t even come to visit Pidge yet, which is unlike him. He’s usually the first one camped outside a pod or sleeping in a chair in the infirmary. But now, he’s just—just closed off in his room.”

“It’s not his fault.” Matt said with a frown.

“And I _told_ Shiro to tell him that.” Katie said exasperatedly, trying to sit up, before letting out a little groan and sinking back into the pillows.

“And I relayed the message, trust me. He’s having a hard time with it, Pidge we thought you were dead. There was so much blood—I didn’t know if you were gonna… anyways. You’re okay now, and that’s what matters.” Shiro said firmly before reaching to give Katie’s hand a squeeze. He nodded to Matt and ruffled his hair as he walked by. Matt went to swipe his hand away but was too slow for Shiro and the man just chuckled as he left the bay.

“So… what do you say, that we don’t tell dad about this?” Katie said sheepishly, fiddling with a piece of thread that came loose from the blanket.

“You know usually I would be like; he should know you almost died. But this time we are in agreement. Deal.”

Katie let out an audible sigh of relief and leaned further back into the pillows staring at Matt.

“You shouldn’t have left your mission; the coalition needs you.”

“Fuck them.”

Katie’s brow furrowed tight in surprise. Matt knew it wasn’t that he had cursed, hell he had _taught_ Katie to curse. No, no it was that he had been fiercely loyal to the cause after his imprisonment by the Galra. After what he had been through… and then being rescued by the rebels. Well Matt had been all in. The idea that he would turn his back on that, was unthinkable and highly improbable, at least that would be what Katie thought.

But she had miscalculated.

Matt would never admit it, but he had one weakness. Just one. And that was his family. Keeping them safe, no matter what. And he already felt like he had failed on that note, especially when he first learned that Katie had ended up in space with a giant robot cat and fighting in a war, she had no business being involved in.

He felt like he had failed.

Failed his parents, because he hadn’t come back from space unscathed. Failed his parents because he hadn’t been able to protect Katie.

Failed Shiro when they were headed to the arena, leading to his lost arm and the deaths of all the aliens he had killed suffocating his conscious.

He had failed Katie.

By getting captured, by being gone for so long.

Leaving her alone.

And he vowed, never to fail any of them ever again.

Katie had miscalculated that was for sure.

But Matt hadn’t.

“You need me, more than they ever will. You come first. The whole universe could be about to collapse, and you would still, always, come first.” Matt spoke firm, his voice steady, unwavering. Leaving no room for doubt, or apathetic misgivings.

Katie ducked her head a little at that statement. Her fidgeting with the blanket (sheet) picked up its intensity and she bit her lip, looking almost lost in that moment.

“You can’t just say shit like that Matt.”

He tsk-ed and ruffled her hair.

“You don’t have a say in what I get to say. People that get poisoned get no vote in the matter.” He smirked at her and she started to smile but it was interrupted by her gasping and griping at her head and side.

“Katie? What hurts?” Matt stood up and hovered closer.

“Everything, everything hurts,” she moaned miserably, her eyes were closing as she grit her teeth through the pain.

He had noticed she had started to look more flushed than before but had a slight shiver to her frame. The poison was working its way through her body and the side effects were not good. And she had started to look worse than when he had first come in. Matt didn’t know if she had just been holding it together to not look weak in front of Coran and Shiro or if she was actually deteriorating and getting worse. Like she was going downhill before she could really start moving uphill to get better. But if he had to guess, it was a little of both. From what Coran had said about the poison it wasn’t surprising that she was going to have ups and downs. And Katie hated to look weak in front of anyone, even though she was the strongest person Matt had ever known.

“’M cold Matt, please—” She tried to curl in on herself more.

He knew what she was asking for, a blanket. Some kind of warmth to keep the chills at bay, but he couldn’t. Coran had said so and he didn’t want to set her healing back because he went against the older Altean’s directions.

She cried out again and her hands gripped the sheet tighter until her hands shook.

“Please, it’s so cold.”

Matt leaned in towards her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, it was burning, searing hot and he sighed shakily.

“I’m sorry honey, I can’t. Your fever is too high, I’m sorry.”

She whimpered in pain and looked up at him frowning.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” she tried for a joking tone but failed when her weakened voice shook.

Matt didn’t respond right away. He turned and his eyes searched for something in the room. He walked towards the supply cabinets and dug around, fishing for some kind of towel or cloth. He found something that looked like the size of a washcloth from Earth and ran it under the cold water of the sink in the corner.

He looked back and saw Katie trying to reach for the blanket at the foot of the bed again.

“No, come on Katie, we need to get your fever down.”

He pressed the folded-up cloth to her forehead, and she moaned at the cold of it. He knew it probably felt terrible, but she needed to cool down.

“I know, I know. I’m so sorry baby.”

“Not a baby.” She croaked as she twisted under the cloth, like she was trying to shrug it off. Matt just kept it steady and wiped away her sweat and patted her face to try and cool her down.

“No, you’re not anymore. You’re all grown up now, saving the universe and shit. How did we get here?” Matt asked, not even sure if he would get a response.

Not even sure he _wanted one_.

A little delirious laugh left Katie’s mouth.

“Well, you got kidnapped by aliens and I flew in a giant cat to get to space.”

They both looked at each other and started to laugh. Matt felt a bit lighter, even when Katie had to stop to clear a rough cough from her throat.

“You need to take it easy; this is probably why it’s taking so long for you to get better.” Matt tried for a stern, clipped voice and attempted to keep his face straight.

But he failed.

Katie always brought out the kid in him.

She always had.

“Okay, okay calm down.” She groused before batting his hand away from her head, the cloth had warmed from her skin and he went to make it cool again at the sink.

“You know… I’m kind of mad at you.”

“What? Why??” Katie asked sounding highly affronted.

“You always nearly die when I’m too far away. I’m your big brother, it’s my job to protect you.” He came back over and set the cloth on her forehead before sitting back in the chair but not with a warning look for her to leave it there.

“Oh I’m sorry, the next time I almost _die_ , I’ll wait for you.”

There was a started little intake of air coming from the doorway and Katie and Matt both turned to see Lance standing there, looking upset.

He had clearly heard Katie talking about how she almost died, and Matt winced, sure that wasn’t helping the guilt trip the kid had going on in his head.

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll go. I just wanted to see—but you’re gonna be fine. I’m sorry.” Lance finished quietly and went to turn to leave.

Katie looked upset and worried that Lance was so upset and worried and Matt stood quickly and turned to follow Lance.

He caught his elbow just as they entered the hallway.

“Hey stop listen. I know you don’t know me that well, but it’s okay. Katie is gonna be _fine_ , and it’s not your fault. From what I was told you did everything right. And even if you hadn’t, and she had still gotten hurt, it wouldn’t be your fault even then. We’re in the middle of a war, there are no guarantees. Don’t be so hard on yourself Lance.” Matt finished, kind of lamely because he really _didn’t_ know Lance that much, but he knew Katie looked at him like another brother.

“How can you say this to me, you’re her brother, and I nearly got her killed.”

“You’re right I _am_ her brother. I want to keep her safe. If I had it my way she would be back on Earth with my parents. I love her and she loves me. But she also loves you and wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for this.”

Lance was silent for a moment before looking earnestly into Matt’s eyes.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been in there with her. If you were visiting her, like I know you want to, you would know that she doesn’t blame you.”

Lance’s face flushed with shame.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve visited her.”

“I know you’re sorry, just come back and see me with her. It’s all gonna be okay.”

Lance’s eyes were watery, but he smiled, looking much better and less like he was weighed down with the weight of the world.

“Thanks, but I am gonna give you guys some alone time. Plus I should probably eat and try and rest a little before seeing Pidge. She’ll take one look at how much of a hot mess I look like and get all bent out of shape about it.”

Matt smiled, genuine and relieved that Lance looked better, and also glad that he was going to go eat.

‘You’re welcome Shiro.’ Matt thought.

Lance left and Matt reentered the room.

“W-where is he??” Katie slurred slightly as she looked at Matt.

“He’s gonna come back, promise. He just needed to do some stuff first.”

“He blames himself. Lance always does this, puts all this pressure on himself and tries to hide his emotions.”

“Hmmm… sounds like someone else I know.” Matt said flatly, looking unimpressed.

“Yeah yeah, can I please have a blanket now? I feel less hot,” Katie asked.

Matt leaned forward and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.

“No can do, you’re still a little too warm for my liking.”

Katie groaned and sunk deeper into the sheets trembling.

“Matt, I don’t feel good.”

Katie’s voice was small, and it made Matt’s heart clench in sorrow.

“I know, it’s gonna be okay. You’ll feel better soon.”

“Everyone keeps saying that,” Katie murmured and reached her hand out, Matt met her halfway and grasped her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and leaned forward to adjust the cloth again.

“Are you tired? Do you wanna try and sleep?” Matt asked running his hands through her hair. Their mother always did that when they felt sick, it was soothing and would help them drift off when they couldn’t sleep on their own.

“I can’t. I did earlier and I dreamt of getting stabbed again. I’m scared I’m gonna close my eyes and see it again.”

Matt hadn’t heard Katie say she was scared in years. It was unnerving and made his protective side rage demand blood for the Galra that had stabbed her.

But Lance already took care of that.

Kill shot, right between the eyes.

He had a feeling that was the one thing Lance _wasn’t_ feeling guilty about.

Matt stood up again and went back to rummaging through the medical drawers until he found what he was looking for.

“Here,” he said coming back to her.

“Chew these, they’ll suppress your dreaming and let you rest without having to worry.”

He held out two little gray capsules and watched as Katie took them.

“Promise you won’t leave me?” she asked, her eyes wide and her hand reaching back out for his.

He held her hand and pulled his chair closer so he could lay his head on one of the pillows near her.

“Promise, close your eyes, you need sleep Katie.”

“You do too, Matt, you look tired, you need sleep too,” Matt could see her starting to work herself up again and he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

“Shhh—just rest now sweetheart,” he soothed, brushing her hair from her face. She sighed softly before finally letting her eyes slip closed.

His voice whispered into the quiet room.

“I’ll keep you safe.”

»


End file.
